Tag Archives: sidebar

We are typically talking tech in our community, and that goes for our sister community, as well! PC PitStop has been kind enough to work with us on a number of occasions. So, when they asked me to answer some tech questions from their community, I was only to happy to help! This particular question comes in from Carlos. He wonders if Windows 7 has a sidebar like the one found in Windows Vista.

The answer, in short, is yes – sort of. You can certainly load gadgets in Windows 7. They are no longer on the side of the screen as they were on Vista. You can take them and load them anywhere on your desktop. If you have two screens on your computer, you can run more gadgets.

Keep in mind that each gadget is a separate program, and will be running in memory. Open up your search command in Windows 7. Search for gadgets, and the Desktop Gadget Gallery will show up. There are tons of them available that you can grab to add to your gallery, including one to help you watch my stream.

The complete answer is yes – and no – to Carlos’ question. You can use the same gadgets you’ve come to love. However, there’s no actual sidebar where they have to be kept. Put them wherever you want and enjoy them on your terms. Design your desktop to suit your needs and style. As has been said somewhere before… Windows 7 was YOUR idea.

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http://live.pirillo.com/ – A widget (also known as a gadget) is a small program that runs on your desktop all the time, which replaces the need to constantly visit a website in order to get common information.

Konfabulator started the widget craze, which was then bought by Yahoo.

Dashboard is OS X’s implementation of widgets.

Windows Vista has the Vista Sidebar, but the user interface is junk in comparison to OS X.

The Google Desktop offers an alternative experience, but its user experience is even worse than Vista’s sidebar.

We have our own widget which lets you watch Chris’s camers right on your desktop without having to visit live.